1. Field of the Invention
The present invention pertains to downrigger fishing systems and techniques for holding a fishing line and lure under the water at a desired depth during trolling, and more particularly, to a novel downrigger line release for releasably connecting a fishing line to a weighted downrigger line.
2. Description of the Prior Art
The use of a “downrigger” for fishing is well known in the art. The purpose of a downrigger is to maintain the lure of a fishing line at a predetermined depth during trolling of a fishing boat to which the downrigger and the fishing line is secured. Without the application of the downrigger, the fishing line would tend to skip along the surface of the water during trolling.
In the typical downrigger fishing arrangement, a “downrigger” line of heavy monofilament, stainless steel or the like is lowered from the fishing boat and carried to depths of fifty or more feet by a “cannon ball” weight of about ten pounds attached to the end of the downrigger line. A “downrigger release” releasably connects a separate fishing line to the downrigger line at a point near the ends of both lines. The weight therefore also carries the fishing line, together with any lures, bait or hooks attached thereto, to the depth to which lowered.
When a fish is hooked, the downrigger release disconnects, freeing the fishing line from the downrigger line, so that the fish may be reeled to the surface in conventional fashion, leaving the downrigger line and weight in the water for separate retrieval.
Various release assemblies have been devised in connection with the downrigger line. In U.S. Pat. No. 4,069,611, issued Jan. 24, 1978 to Dusich et al., a spool has a first end pinned to a bifurcated bracket and a second end adapted to be frictionally engaged by opposed tines of a bifurcated bracket. The fishing line is wrapped about the second end of the fishing line and the second end inserted into frictional engagement by the tines. A disengagement force placed on the line pulls the second end of the spool from frictional engagement with the tines, whereupon the spool rotates away from the tines and fishing line “plays out”. A screw member is provided to force the tines towards one another and increase or decease the amount of gripping force applied by the tines against the spool, wherein to preset to amount of force needed to pull the spool from gripping engagement by the tines. A tug on the fish line that is greater than the frictional force engaging the pin will allow the spool to rotate from engagement with the tines and the fishing line to unwrap.
In another conventional downrigger release, a metal clothes pin-like clip is releasably clipped to the downrigger line, a short distance above the weight, and a tapered plastic socket is attached to the clip. A tapered plastic plug with opposite ends has one end adapted to be releasably inserted into the socket and the other end attached to the fishing line. If a fish is hooked, its struggles will pull the plug out of the socket, thereby freeing the fishing line from the downrigger line so that the fish may be reeled to the surface in conventional fashion.
The downrigger release aforesaid suffers a number of disadvantages. For example, it is difficult to adjust the force with which the plug is inserted into the socket, particularly after repeated mating of the plug and socket. If the plug is inserted too tightly into the socket, then a hooked fish may not be able to pull the plug out of the socket, making it extremely difficult to land the fish, since the weighted downrigger line will then have to be retrieved together with the fishing line and the fish. If the plug is inserted too loosely into the socket, then the plug may pull free of the socket in the absence of a fish, necessitating time consuming retrieval of both lines, reinsertion of the plug into the socket, and redeployment of the lines into the water.
The apparatus and downrigger release according to the present invention overcomes the foregoing disadvantages.